About the Department

The Penasco Volunteer Fire Department is located in the Sacramento Mountains surrounding the Rio Penasco River in Southern Chaves County. The department was started in 1953. At that time, Edmund Runyan was the Chief and Hezzie Powell was the Assistant Chief and Hazel Cleve was the Secretary. The members donated cattle sprayers to equip the department at first, mounting the equipment on racks to enable them to slip into the back of a pickup. Shortly afterwards, a 1936 fire truck was donated to the department by the Artesia Fire Department. The department added an addition to its existing station in 1990.

In 2010, the department constructed a 2nd Main Station to replace a smaller, older building that they had outgrown. The new station is a 4 bay building complete with training facility and kitchen.

The district covers approximately 90-square miles of rough mountainous terrain that requires innovative ways to provide fire protection, so they purchased a Humvee and equipped it in order to be able to reach some of the more difficult areas they respond to. In an effort to improve their fire protection capabilities, the department drilled a well and installed a water storage tank at their Station #1 location. They have drilled a well at their newly constructed Station #2 and have plans to purchase a water storage tank at that location as well.

This department has 24 members.

Fire Apparatus

• Pumper 1
  2012 Pumper Deep South with a 1,250 GPM pump and a 1,300-gallon tank
• Pumper 2
  1996 Chevrolet with a 1,000 GPM pump and a 1,250-gallon tank
• Pumper 3
  1984 Pumper with a 750 GPM pump and a 1,000-gallon tank
• Pumper 4
  1983 Pumper with a 750 GPM pump and a 1,000-gallon tank
• Tanker 1
  2012 Deep South with a 1,250 GPM pump and a 3,000-gallon tank
• Tanker 2
  2003 Sterling with a 1,000 GPM pump and a 4,000-gallon tank
• Urban-Interface Attack Vehicle 1
  1995 Hummer VLC2 with a 75 GPM pump and a 300-gallon tank
• Urban-Interface Attack Vehicle 2
  1998 Chevrolet 4x4 Crew Cab with a 75 GPM pump and a 300-gallon tank
• Rescue Unit
  2007 Ford F550 with a 150 GPM pump and a 500-gallon tank
• Command Unit
  1999 Dodge Pickup
• Trailer
  Gooseneck Trailer with a 250 GPM pump and a 1,200-gallon tank

ISO Rating & Funding

The department has an ISO rating of 9 and will receive $78,116 for their base FY2013 Fire Fund Act Allocation.